


Dunes

by BXVAce



Series: The Mandalorian Gunslinger [2]
Category: Journey (Video Game 2012), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Bounty Hunters, Rewrite, repost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:15:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26549602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BXVAce/pseuds/BXVAce
Summary: Ace is sent to a desert planet for another job, but soon discovers there is more going on.
Series: The Mandalorian Gunslinger [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047793
Kudos: 6





	Dunes

_How do I keep getting caught up in these missions?_

Those words echoed in Ace’s mind as he sped across the desert on his speeder bike. It was another mission from the Guild that sent him into the Core and dealing with some high ranker with a spoon made of gold shoved up his ass. This one was the famous fashionista and make-up artist Lucas Macnarra. Roz gave him the message from Macnarra, insisting that a tracker hunt down a group of desert bandits that kept stealing his fabric material. However, Ace knew better. First off, he knew better than to trust anyone who spends too much time and money on cosmetic surgery to make themselves look less and less human. Macnarra was thin, tall, slender in the face save for the overly exaggerated cheeks and lips. His face was caked in glittery make-up and his bleach hair was in an oddly shaped upward style. His skin was almost gold, tanned from the desert sun but smoothed out with skin bronzer. He also had an attire made of fine fabrics and furs from the most exotic of places across the Inner Rim.

The interview really was telling for Ace as well. Macnarra was having a little show at his loft in the city of Flus here on Gyost, a desert planet within the Inner Rim. Macnarra was showing off a new clothing line he was releasing and when Ace walked in, he stuck out. The loft was bright and everyone was dressed in clean light colors while Ace was wearing his dark suit and weathered green and red armor. The moment Ace approached him, Macnarra showed nothing but disgust to the Mandalorian, but he had his dealings. That didn’t stop some of the fashionista’s own entourage from making their condescending comments. To try and make sure he didn’t soil their reputation, one even tried to remove Ace’s armor. Ace was certain that he broke a few of his fingers.

Macnarra’s meeting detailed that the bandits stole some of his supplies, mainly an expensive fabric that goes for a lot of credits in the Underworld. Macnarra was paying Ace in platinum credits, a single chip being his downpayment. Now Ace was speeding to the location Macnarra gave him.

Ace knew that Macnarra was lying. The city of Flus was the only civilized section of the planet, the rest belong to an idigenous tribe of people called the Rythulians. They were a dark skinned Force-based group. They had no facial features save for their glowing white eyes. Their specialty was a unique weaved fabric that was stitched and infused with their Force powers, making it glow and shimmer and was all but indestructible against any weapon. A fabric like that would make someone like Macnarra bloodthirsty. Just by his mannerisms and the way he talked, Ace could tell that Macnarra was accustomed to getting what he wants no matter what. Still, Ace had to make sure. What if there really were bandits out there stealing Macnarra’s supplies? His reputation was already in question with the Guild after letting the queen on Galidraan go free and killing a good portion of hunters on his rig. If he didn’t check and there really were bandits out there, he’d never recover from the embarrassment.

He was closing in on the location, seeing the twin peak mountain reach up from the horizon. It was a place of worship for the Rythulians and the built cities around it for miles. However, most of the smaller ones were laid waste when the Empire came. The people hid underground during this time, but Ace heard that they resurfaced after the Empire fell. Now Macnarra was probably terrorizing them. Even so, if there were bandits out in these lands, they might be using the destroyed cities as hideouts. Lucky for Ace, one was right in his sights.

He arrived at the ruins and parked his speeder on the dunes overlooking it. He got any closer with it’s engine roaring and anyone nearby would hear him coming. He slid down the dune and quietly approached one of the destroyed structures, his pistol drawn. He scanned the area for any lifeforms and saw nothing, but any bandits could be using scramblers. He kept looking around, but there was no sign of any life, nor was there any indication that someone was even here at all. The sand was still smooth save for the footprints behind him. Even if there were any traces, the wind blowing through everything destroyed any of it.

That was when he heard a ringing. He pointed his blaster in its direction and followed the sound. He ducked behind a pillar and slowly looked around it. He saw something moving around in the distance, right along the face of the dune. He lowered his rangefinder and zoomed in.

Rythulians. Two of them. Male by the looks of them. They were levitating and dancing about, by the looks of it. Ace studied the Rythulians as a child, he forgot most of his studies but he recognized this dance. It was a courting dance, and a successful one by the looks of it. They then flew over the dune and disappeared.

“Better follow them.” Ace said to himself. He didn’t know if the Rythulians trusted outsiders after the Empire, but the Mandalorians never attacked them at all, not at least according to recorded history. He hoped that, if there were bandits out here, they would help them locate them. If not, he wasn’t going to bother them any further. If there really were bandits out here.

Ace climbed the small dune and peered over it to see the beautiful Rythulian city, all but glowing in the sun. There were these things that looked like kites flying about, yet when he watched them closer, they moved like natural flying creatures. He heard stories of Rythulians fusing the Force into the fabric they weave and sometimes, they fabric would all but come to life. He looked down and watched the two Rythulians softly levitate towards the edge of the city, hand in hand. They landed on the walkway entering the city and walked in. Ace leaped over the tip of the dune and slid down the sand and followed them from a distance.

He followed the Rythulian couple as they walked deeper into the city. He was about to call out to them when something hit him across the mask of his helmet. He fell backwards and rolled back. He looked up and saw a slender and short Twi’lek girl dressed in Rythulian robes and carrying a staff. Maybe there were bandits after all.

Ace drew his blaster, but she knocked it out of his hand with her staff. Ace jumped to his feet and threw his fist at her. She dodged and swung her staff at him, just barely hitting him. She swung again but he caught it. He tried to pull it out of her hands, but she wasn’t letting go. He pulled her closer and shoved her into the lattice window of a shop. As she fell back, she finally let the staff go and he tossed it aside. He climbed in and she began to climb to her feet, but he threw a punch across her face. He picked up a clay pot on the shelf next to him and was about to smash it on her, but she swept her leg under his and he fell to the floor, the pot instead crashing on his helmet. She leaped up to her feet and raised her foot, ready to stomp on him. He rolled out from under her and got to his knees and elbowed her in the ribs. She staggered back in pain and he got to his feet and was ready to fight back. She then leaped up and grabbed onto one of the rafters and kicked him back, making him crash into another lattice window. However, this window led out to a two story drop. He fell and landed on a pottery stand, one of the broken shards of pottery wedging into his left thigh.

The fight scene spilled into the city square where many Rythulians were watching Ace scramble to his feet, groaning in pain as he gripped where the shard stuck out. He stood up, slowly pulled it out and gripped his wound to stop the bleeding. The Twi’lek then leaped out of the window Ace fell out of and landed on him, knocking both of them down. They rolled away from each other and climbed to their feet. The Twi’lek then pulled a dagger out of her boot and Ace pulled out one of his kunai knives. They charged at each other.

Then something landed in between them and a gust of wind blasted them both back. Rythulians grabbed the Twi’lek while Ace anchored himself on the ground as he slid back. Ace looked up to see a Rythulian breaking them up. Like all Rythulians, he was shorter than Ace and he wore their signature robes, his being white and gold. He looked at Ace with his emotions only being expressed through the angry glare in his eyes. Ace was reading him, seeing if there was any chance of him attacking. Thankfully, he just turned to the Twi’lek. Ace watched as the Rythulian communicated with the Twi’lek as she stood up, all using sign language.

Once he was done, the Twi’lek looked at Ace and said, “The Magistrate wishes for us to speak in private.”

With all eyes on him, Ace only slipped his kunai back into its pouch and nodded in agreement.

* * *

In the Magistrate’s tower, Ace was having his wound treated by a slender Rythulian woman. Unlike the others, who were dressed in sashes, tunics and gowns, she was dressed in a loose fitting shawl. It was like she was hiding her body. She was meditating as she held her hand on his wounded leg. Ace looked down at her hand peering out of her robe, noticing the edge of a scar.

After the Magistrate communicated with the Twi’lek, she told Ace, “We want to know if Macnarra sent you.”

“He did.” Ace replied. After he said that, the woman lifted her hand. She not only healed him, but her power stitched up his clothing. Amazed, he thanked her and continued on, “I was told that desert bandits were stealing from his supply ships coming in from Coruscant. He sent me out this way, but I knew the Rythulians lived in these deserts. I was hoping that I could get any information...without incident.”

The Twi’lek was about to reply, but the Magistrate stopped her and gave her hand signs. Ace didn’t recognize them so he thought that it was communications only she knew. She nodded and told Ace, “He wants to know if you would like some tea.”

Ace, drawing his head back in surprise that he was being accommodating to the Mandalorian after what happened earlier, replied, “I-I guess so.”

The Magistrate stood up and poured a cup for him and handed it to Ace.

“Thank you.” Ace said, the Magistrate giving him a polite curtsy. Ace wasn’t going to remove his helmet, but he held onto the cup as a friendly gesture. The Magistrate sat back down and Ace asked him, “He’s the leader of this tribe? He looks like he’s in his midteens.”

“The Rythulians age differently than us.” the Twi’lek told Ace. “What seems like an entire lifetime for us would only be childhood to them. He has led this tribe for many centuries, even their transition into the underground cities when the Empire came. It was there they found me.”

“What happened?”

“My family was on a slave ship heading for the Outer Rim when my father put me in an escape pod right over the planet. I was only four.”

“And you’ve been here ever since?”

“Yes. The Magistrate and his wife here took me in and nurtured me.”

“With what? There’s no water or food on this planet.”

“There is if you dig deep enough. There is an oasis in the core of this planet, plenty of fruit and water to live on. I grew up underground but when the Empire fell, the New Republic sought us out and we returned to the sun.”

Ace nodded in understanding, but asked, “How did you learn to fight like that?”

The Twi’lek laughed and said, “One of our tribesmen was offered a chance to fight in the Clone Wars. He returned with his knowledge and trained me. He was originally the protector of this tribe, now he’s too old and I must protect it.”

The Magistrate communicated with her again and she said, “He knows who you are. He knows you are a Mandalorian sent here by Macnarra.”

“I was sent to hunt bandits, not Rythulians.” Ace corrected her. “Like I said, I know about them and I figure Macnarra was after their fabric.”

“Qamash.” the Twi’lek interrupted him. “It is their sacred weave, unique to them. Let's just say it is to them what beskar is to Mandalorians.”

“Fair enough. As I was saying, I figured Macnarra wanted them for their, uh, qamash. Being in that damned studio of his, I can tell he was up to something.”

With those words, the Twi’lek threw the Magistrate and his wife a worrying look. Ace glanced at them and saw her cuddle closer to him and watched as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

“What did I miss?” Ace asked.

The Twi’lek looked to Ace and told him, “When Macnarra first arrived here, he offered the Rythulians help to rebuild their cities after the Empire destroyed them. In exchange, he only wanted their qamash for his clothing line. The Magistrate was reluctant, but he agreed to send some of his weavers to the city. A week later, they came back. Worked almost to death and their hands blistered.”

“From weaving?”

“From not working fast enough. Macnarra had his workers burn their hands. And that’s not all.”

The Twi’lek looked to the Magistrate’s wife and nodded. She stood up, but so did he, shaking his head at her, telling her no. She softly nodded and placed her forehead against his. He only placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

The Twi’lek told Ace, “After the weavers left, Macnarra sent some of his enforcers out to this city. They held me back as they ravished the city and…” She then looked back up at the woman.

Ace looked up at her and she untied her shawl, letting it fall to the ground. She was only in her undergarments and the cowl the Rythulians all wore, but her dark hair grew out from under the cowl and down her back, but it wasn’t enough to cover all of them. The Magistrate held her closer as he pulled back her hair, showing Ace all of the scars on her back and going down her arms. Slashes, acid burns, blisters.

The Twi’lek’s eyes watered and she sobbed, “They held her down and tortured her! All in front of the Magistrate! And those are only the scars we can see.”

All of them looked down at Ace, who said nothing. The mask of his helmet hid any emotion he was having at the moment. However, his hand that held his cup of tea shook. It shook harder and harder until it shattered the cup.

Without saying a word, Ace stood up and walked out, leaving everyone confused and concerned.

Ace walked down the street of the city, catching the eye of the Rythulians. He didn’t let it bother him, he just went on his way. As he walked, he caught a glimpse of what looked like a merchant selling some rolls of qamash.

Walking up to the merchant, Ace said, “Nod if you can understand me.”

The merchant was perplexed at first, but he did eventually nod.

“Are these rolls for sale?”

Nod.

“Even to outsiders?”

Nod.

“Do you take Republic credits?”

An eager nod. Ace then tossed the platinum chip Macnarra gave him onto his table and the merchant examined it and his eyes glimmered at Ace.

“All I want is a large sample sheet of what the Magistrate wears.”

* * *

The speeder bike arrived at Flus City, gliding towards Lucas Macnarra’s building. Once it was parked, Ace climbed off it and entered the building. He arrived at Macnarra’s loft, who was shouting at models.

“Who hired you?” he screamed. “I spent hours, _hours_ , coming up with this design and your fat figure is ruining it!”

Ace looked at the model and though she looked fit, albeit a little too thin. He looked around and saw the designer who tried to remove his armor. His hand was in a cast.

Macnarra turned and saw Ace, sneering and commenting, “Oh, it’s you. Did you do it?”

Ace only held up a rucksack.

“Oh, good.” Macnarra condescending said. He turned back to his models and said, “Alright, break time.”

He turned back to Ace and motioned for his office. The two walked in and Macnarra locked the door behind Ace. He asked Ace to sit down, but the Mandalorian refused. Macnarra only shrugged and sat down at his desk.

“Did you do it?” the fashionista asked condescendingly.

Ace opened the rucksack and pulled out a cowl. It was white with gold designs on it, just like the Magistrate. The only difference is that it had a splash of blood on it. Ace then dropped it on Macnarra’s desk.

Macnarra picked it up, pouted and said with little emotion, “Aw, you got blood on it.” He placed it back on the desk and said, “Oh well, there’s more where that came from, right?”

“I guess.” Ace replied. He stood up straight and said, “The job’s over. My payment.”

Macnarra smirked and stood up. He walked over to a small painting and pulled it open, revealing a small safe. Ace turned around so Macnarra could enter the passcode. It opened and Macnarra pulled out a small satchel full of credits. He closed his safe and went to place the satchel on his desk. Ace opened it and it glimmered from the platinum credits on the inside. He closed it and watched as Macnarra sat down in his seat.

“You know, I never cut them.” he commented as he looked at the bloodstained cowl. “I wondered if they bleed red like us or not.”

Ace tilted his head and said, “I guess we’ll never know.”

Macnarra looked up at him and raised his eyebrow. He asked, “Didn’t you kill their leader?”

Ace laughed and said, “Nah. That’s womprat blood.”

Macnarra glared angrily at Ace and was about to lunge at him when Ace fired his whipcord, tying him down in his chair. Macnarra called for help, but Ace turned and shot the door panel, locking them in the room. Ace had only one escape plan and that was out the window. However, he had other business first.

Ignoring Macnarra’s swears and threats, Ace walked over to the safe. He didn’t need the code, he had a “key”. He pulled out a knife and slid it into the slot of the door and pried it open. He saw the bags and bags of credits.

“Greedy bounty hunter!” Macnarra snarled. “You think you can steal from me and get away with it?”

“I’m only keeping what you paid me.” Ace said, pulling the bags out. “The rest of this is going to help the Nythulians rebuild their cities.”

“I own them! This is my planet! Everything on it is mine!”

Ace turned and looked down at him. The two glared for a moment until Ace raised his hands. He was doing something that he rarely did. He only did it on two occasions. First, as a sign of trust. Second, so his enemies could look in his eyes as he punished them. He removed his helmet.

Ace was fair skinned, full faced, light freckles and red scruff on his upper lip and chin. His hair was short and ginger colored. His greyish-blue eyes glared down at Macnarra, the hatred for the fashionista burning right through them. Ace got in Macnarra’s face with the knife inches from his throat.

“You wanted me to find the Rythulians and hoped that I’d kill them.” Ace said. “You wanted me to be your pawn, but I’m nobody’s pawn.”

Macnarra shuttered and stammered, “You can’t prove that.”

“I saw the woman, what your men did to her.”

“Why do you care? You’re a bounty hunter.”

“I’m a Mandalorian, not a murderer. I swore to the creed to protect, not destroy.” Ace then gripped Macnarra’s hair and pulled his head to the side, making his victim cry out in pain. Ace drew his knife against his cheek and snarled, “And I’ll teach you to never make a fool out of me.”

The knife then began to dig into Macnarra’s cheek. He screamed in pain as Ace traced a permanent smile into his face.

* * *

The Magistrate and his wife sat in the fountain in their tower and he kept his hand on her shoulders, trying to heal the scars on her skin. They slowly faded, but extremely slow and he was getting fatigued. He was at it for hours and he barely got an inches worth of scarring healed. He was starting to strain when his wife turned and held him, making sure that he didn’t go too far. He collapsed in her arms and she held him tightly. They looked at each other, his eyes showing remorse while hers showed understanding.

The Twi’lek walked in, urgency in her steps. They both looked up at her and she told them, “Someone’s coming.”

The Twi’lek, the Magistrate and his wife all walked out the city limits and looked out to see large machines approaching the city. Ahead of them was a speeder. It wasn’t Macnarra since it was pretty beat up and he would never drive something like this. It was piloted by a Rodian. He drove up to them and exited it. He walked up to the Twi’lek and asked, “Is this the Rythulian city we were hired to begin repairs on?”

The Twi’lek drew back in shock. She turned back to look at the Magistrate, who only shrugged. She turned back around and said, “We-We didn’t send a request.”

“It was sent from Garduun and the payment was in platinum credits.” the Rodian explained. “Must have been a bounty hunter or something. All I know is that the payment was sent with the instruction and the directions. If this is it, we’ll begin working.”

He then turned and climbed back into speeder and drove back to the machinery. They were construction equipment.

Then, everyone looked off into the distance, seeing a lone figure standing on top of one of the dunes. They knew who it was, and it was him who brought these men here. He was too far to see, but the Twi’lek smiled and gave him a wave while the Magistrate and his wife embraced each other closely.

Atop the due, Ace turned back to his bike and mounted it. With a twist of the throttle, he took off into the desert, chasing the sun and ready for his next job.

**Author's Note:**

> Like "The Hunt", this story is a repost from a different account. There's been some slight adjustments here and there but I really didn't change much.
> 
> For those who are wondering, Macnarra, the villain of the story, was inspired by Jeffery Star, but this was written before his recent controversies. I just used him as a bit of inspiration but now I think it's a bit more fitting.
> 
> Unlike on my previous account, there will be more adventures Ace will partake and I have some stories in the works. If you enjoyed these stories, keep an eye out and I'm open to constructive criticism.
> 
> Peace.


End file.
